Fun but generally useless feats?

[Con_Brio1993]

So a DM gave me a challenge to make a character that's utterly useless in battle. I responded by making a senile old man Factotum, and thanks to stat penalties have very little strength, dex, or constitution. I've decided to go full-skill monkey for some out of battle shenanigans. What feats are fun, but typically looked over because they don't aid a character's ability to contribute to combat?

[ArcturusV]

Well, one I never see get used (though it's not combat useless really) is things like Close Order Drill, Phalanx Fighting, etc. Mostly because you never have another teammate who also wants to waste feats on that.

Karmic Twin might be fun. But I never had a DM who actually wanted to go through the pain of actually developing an NPC and a plot for it, and didn't want to just give me the bonus without the drawback.

[Quiddle]

Noncombatitive and the other feats that go alone with it.

[Con_Brio1993]

Noncombatitive and the other feats that go alone with it.

Isn't that a flaw?

[Baroncognito]

It's a pathfinder feat, and I think it's halfling only, but I love the feat "Well-prepared"

With a sleight of hand or survival check, DC 10+the cost of the item in gold pieces, you can remember stuff like "Oh, I had a 50 foot rope I had entirely forgotten about!" or "Wait, I've got another crowbar here somewhere."

[W3bDragon]

A few luck feats might go well with that build. Sly Fortune, Tempting Fate, and Miser's Fortune for example.

All together you'd get to reroll Hide, Move Silently, Tumble, and stabilization checks. Your items would get a +5 on saves, and you whenever you're about to bite the dust, you can spend a luck roll to drop to -9 and stable instead.

Not terribly useful, but fun.

[ArcturusV]

Something like the Vow of Nonviolence from Exalted Deeds perhaps is what was meant?

Speaking of which, it has a few I'd suggest since you're skill monkeying. Nymph's Kiss wouldn't be bad. Bonus on Charisma related checks, +1 to saving throws against spells and spell like effects, and an extra skill point per level. Only drawback is you count as Fey for effects that check for Fey type. But I never really see anyone take it. And free skill points and check bonuses are free bonuses.

[NotScaryBats]

Nymph's Kiss is an Exalted Feat, so you have to be Exalted. The +2 to Cha skills is a circumstance bonus, so doesn't stack with other circumstance bonuses.

I personally love Exalted feats, but a lot of people don't like the rp associated with them.

[Diovid]

DMG II, PHB II, Races of Destiny and Cityscape have several feats which help with social encounters and general skill monkery, feats such as Apprentice (DMG II), Business Savvy (DMG II), Master Manipulator (PHB II), Resourceful Buyer (Races of Destiny) and Wanderer's Diplomacy (PHB II). The Eberron and Faerun books also have a few more feats in that direction I believe.

Depending on your chosen race there are some additional feats. For example, Gnomes have access to Trivial Knowledge (Races of Stone), Half-Elfs have access to Complementary Insight and Sociable Personality (Races of Destiny) and Changelings have access to quite a few skillful Changeling-only feats (Races of Eberron).

Last but not least, I'd imagine skill tricks (Complete Scoundrel, Dragon Magazine #357) would be quite important for such a character.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Nymph's Kiss is an Exalted Feat, so you have to be Exalted. The +2 to Cha skills is a circumstance bonus, so doesn't stack with other circumstance bonuses.

I personally love Exalted feats, but a lot of people don't like the rp associated with them.

Actually, circumstance bonuses from different circumstances do stack; DMG page 21.

[andromax]

Actually, circumstance bonuses from different circumstances do stack; DMG page 21.

This is true.

Tracking via scent would be pretty funny for a senile old man.
Can get scent via 1st level stance in ToB, and Track via ranger. (and of course, lots of different ways) List of stuff (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871954/Lists_of_Stuff)

[Mr Adventurer]

Ceremony feats?

[jedipilot24]

The spell-like ability feats from Complete Arcane. Aside from Spell Hand (which only sees use in the occassional Arcane Trickster build), I have yet to see any of them put to use.

[Greenish]

Blessed of Tem-Et-Nu from Sandstorm has to be mentioned. Whether it's completely legal to use it with Factotum's turning ability, I'm sure your DM won't forbid you from rebuking hippos.

Only problem being, you need to have defeated a hippopotamus in single combat to take the feat, which may prove tricky given the premise of the character, and, of course, if you ever abandon Tem-Et-Nu, you'll take damage as if bitten by a hippo.

[Con_Brio1993]

Tempting Fate sounds amazing. Cheat death once per day is fun stuff especially for a squishy character.

edit: I'd take Exalted feats but this character is in no way Exalted :(

[Psyren]

Pretty much all the Teamwork feats. I like the concept but they're terrible in execution, even on the Inquisitor class that's meant to get the most out of the system.

[limejuicepowder]

not really applicable to your build, but I've wanted a character that makes frequent and good use of the 2nd level ability for menacing brutes. Being able to search for random stuff in trash bins is awesome.

[Gullara]

Only problem being, you need to have defeated a hippopotamus in single combat to take the feat, which may prove tricky given the premise of the character, and, of course, if you ever abandon Tem-Et-Nu, you'll take damage as if bitten by a hippo.

You say that like a senile old man somehow killing a hippo due to absurd circumstances and dumb luck isn't the best idea ever. :smalltongue: